Sakthi (played by Sandeep) is the only son of Sharath Babu and Bhanupriya. Having tired of urban living, the elderly couple takes up residence in a village along with their son. Viswanathan (Madhu) is the head of the village. He is highly respected for his fairness and for his love and compassion for the poor. His granddaughter (played by Roopa) is a village belle. She catches Sakthi's attention as she flits around the village like a butterfly. The two are drawn towards each other and eventually fall in love. Their affair has the tacit blessings of Viswanathan. But it is not going to be a bed of roses for the two as trouble brews up in the person of Sakthi's ex-flame, city-bred glamour girl played by Shubha Punja.

Naren Daivanayakam who caught the attention of movie goers with the film Manathai Thirudi Vittal introduces Malayalam thespian Madhu to the Tamil screen in his new directorial venture Oru Ponnu, Oru Payyan, which also has Malayalam actress Roopa making her first appearance in Tamil. Madhu has a very powerful role in the film as Viswanathan, the village headman. The film also sees the debut of Sandeep who plays the role of Sakthi. Apart from directing the film, Naren Daivanayakam also provides the story, script and dialogues.